Barbara Pierce Bush, the former first lady, died at her Houston home Tuesday after a long struggle with congestive heart failure and pulmonary disease. The down-to-earth matriarch who saw both her husband and son win the White House, was 92.
USA TODAY

George and Barbara Bush attended a Republican fundraiser at the home of Lawrence and Patricia Wirth in Neenah.(Photo: Courtesy of Bill Kloiber)

Neenah resident Patricia Wirth fondly recalled the time former first lady Barbara Bush visited her home. Bush was a "delightful, lovely woman," she said.

"I am grateful that I had a chance to meet her," Wirth told USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin. "It was a great pleasure."

Bush, 92, died Tuesday at her Houston home after a struggle with congestive heart failure and pulmonary disease. She saw both her husband, George H.W. Bush, and son, George W. Bush, win the White House.

Wirth and her husband, Lawrence, welcomed Barbara and George H.W. Bush to their home at 410 E. Wisconsin Ave. on Sept. 19, 1986, for a Republican fundraiser.

Bush was the vice president at the time as part of the Reagan administration and was stumping for U.S. Sen. Bob Kasten and GOP gubernatorial hopeful Tommy Thompson.

The private, $250-a-person reception was attended by 145 people. It preceded a Bush rally at the Valley Inn in downtown Neenah. The events were organized by Sandra Mills of Menasha.

The Bushes spent about two hours at the Wirth home, greeting dignitaries from the city, county and state. Patricia Wirth remembered Barbara Bush as elegant and sincere.

"She extended her hand to most every guest who was near her," Wirth said. "She engaged in conversation with everyone, showing great interest. There was nothing artificial about the lady, nothing phony about her."

Another characteristic of the Bush matriarch also was on display in the Wirth home.

"She had a great sense of humor," Wirth said. "We did all remark about that."

Mills met Barbara Bush on a handful of occasions. She described her as friendly, loving and "the sweetest, kindest and most humble person." She echoed the sentiment of others that Bush was a second mother to everyone in the country.

"You did feel that warmth of somebody almost who you were related to," Mills said. "She cared about you."

The Bush rally at the Valley Inn was front-page news in 1986. According to a Post-Crescent report, the rally was attended by "600 people who paid $50 each to see Bush and to revel in the thought of a Republican sweep at the polls in November."

Wirth said there was "a great air of excitement in the whole city."

"It was exhilarating," she said. "The anticipation, I think, was a greater part of the whole event."

The Bushes returned to the Fox Valley on Oct. 31, 1992, as George H.W. Bush was seeking re-election as president. He was defeated by Bill Clinton three days later.

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President George H.W. Bush and first lady Barbara Bush rally supporters in 1992 while aboard the "Spirit of America" whistle-stop campaign train that passed through Oshkosh, Neenah, Dale, Weyauwega, Waupaca, Amherst and Amherst Junction and Stevens Point.(Photo: File/USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin)